


The Children of Destiny

by Maonsie



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:34:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27150484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maonsie/pseuds/Maonsie
Summary: The GALACTIC EMPIRE reigns across the Galaxy. Insurgent fighters, striking from a hidden base, have scored a massive victory against the Empire in a mission of extreme subterfuge and daring heroics.During the battle, Rebel agents managed to steal the plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the SUNSABER, an armored super-dreadnought with enough firepower to eradicate an entire planet.With intelligence that the very rebels behind the attack are near, the Empire's most lethal agent DARTH VADER is in pursuit....





	The Children of Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> So, allow me to introduce The Children of Destiny, a novelized form of Episode 4 from my own retelling of the Skywalker Saga. I have a general outline of my entire timeline drawn out.
> 
> Many characters will feel familiar, but that's where it ends; I have my own ideas about many of the stories and themes told throughout Star Wars, and have come to love many aspects from both the old and new Expanded Universe. So, I'm trying to mash it all together!
> 
> To learn more, visit my site: https://nicoshort.com/The Skywalker Saga Timeline.html

**THE ADMIRAL**

There was a chill on the command bridge, and Admiral Bremes Vel had a good idea why: Lord Vader was in a foul mood. Vel needed to take only one look around the bridge to see the looks of worry on the command crew’s faces. The current subject of Lord Vader’s dissatisfaction was in the small Corellian freighter’s continuing evasion of the disabling ion cannon shots from the battlegroup. The Rebel Alliance had become a much more serious threat in the last week, since they had successfully stolen plans and information about the Sunsaber Super Star Dreadnought; and, now acting on NavInt intelligence, they had tracked the primary rebel agents behind the operation to this very VCX-100 light freighter. Vader had been ordered by Grand Moff Wilhulf Tarkin that he himself be present for this hunt, so that meant Vel was here as well. Being ordered around by Tarkin wasn’t something that Vader took easily.

Out of the corner of his eye, the admiral noticed a younger ensign walking up towards the towering man. He couldn’t have been even a week out of the academy, one of the newest arrivals to this team. Vader turned, his black cape swirling behind him.

“Yes, lieutenant?” Vader asked, the question booming out of the supreme commander’s mask in its deeply synthetic quality. The admiral could still remember the first time he heard Vader’s voice years ago. Vel watched as the ensign appeared even smaller before the near seven-foot-tall man and swallowed hard.

“We have—your boarding company is assembled in the—the main hangar bay,” the ensign finally said before quickly adding, “my Lord Vader.”

Vader turned back towards the main viewport, not acknowledging anything further; the ensign smartly quickly left the bridge, nearly running. A small ping let Vel know that another shot from the light freighter harmlessly was absorbed by their shield. The Gladiator-class Star Destroyer they had requisitioned from Gor’Gollia, _Annihilator_ , was more than enough to deal with this pathetically small frigate, or so Vel hoped. Lord Vader’s own flagship, _Executor_ , was far too large for this pursuit. Not to mention that it would most likely simply destroy the fleeing freighter with a single salvo.

“Admiral,” Vader said, not taking his gaze from the viewport. “I will be joining my stormtroopers. The Rebel vessel will be in our tractor beam by that time.”

The colossus of a man now turned to Vel, looking down at him from behind those red eye lenses on his mask. The admiral couldn’t help but swallow in his throat at his own reflection in the lenses. The sight never became normal. How some in the Empire had the audacity to order him around was beyond the admiral’s comprehension. The Sith lord added, “Is that clear, Admiral Vel?”

“Yes, my lord,” Vel replied, bowing his head. He didn’t need to look up to know Lord Vader had left the command platform, hearing the man’s boots clang against the durasteel floor. He looked up in time to see the Vader’s accompanying bodyguard detail, the secretive death troopers, leaving the bridge with the Sith lord. As if the man needed bodyguards.

“You heard Lord Vader, disable that ship now,” Vel barked out. The tense feeling that the command crew had been feeling faded away as they fell into their positions, and even Vel felt far more comfortable. Normally, Vader’s presence wasn’t as suffocating as it had been recently. Was it something to do with the Sunsaber? Or something else?

Admiral Vel walked up towards the viewport and watched the small VCX-100, diving in-and-out of ion battery shots impressively. Not that they would be able to keep the game up for long. It was admirable how much the Rebel Alliance resisted the inevitable at every step of the way, from the top to the bottom.

As if on que, he witnessed a massive explosion rock the Corellian freighter, and Vel heard from one of the adjutants that they had it safely in a tractor beam. The admiral let go a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding in. He was getting old—too old for this sort of naïve worry: the Galactic Civil War was long over; this was just child’s play in comparison. And Vader had personally selected him for his command.

But Vel couldn’t help but feel like something was off.

“Admiral!” Captain Piett called out to the command bridge, breaking his concentration. Ferus Piett was a good soldier, one who Vel had brought along with him when he moved under Vader’s direct command. The man had done nothing to disappoint Vel yet. “We’re detecting an Alliance force coming out of hyperspace in sector 23.”

Vel gripped his hands tightly; this was not good. An Alliance taskforce jumping in meant that the NavInt intel was correct, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing now. The Imperial admiral’s current battlegroup of a single Star Destroyer and two accompanying Gozanti-class cruisers was woefully ill-prepared for what had just jumped out of hyperspace: three MC75 Star Cruisers, four Hammerhead corvettes and nearly five wings of light fighter craft. “Admiral?” Piett asked, having moved up towards the viewport himself.

“Blast it, where are we,” Vel started before bringing up the holonav display. “Is there anything from Oon we could hail for assistance?” It would be a pitiful showing, but even a single Imperial-class Star Destroyer could make a difference, or at least provide cover whilst they jumped out of the system. The Alliance forces would only stay if the Corellian freighter was here; Oon itself was not in danger. Ten minutes; they just needed to hold out for ten minutes.

“Scramble fighters but keep them close to _Annihilator_. We need to be able to jump at my command,” Vel commanded to Piett. “And we need contact with Oon immediately.”

Hangar launch klaxons went off which meant that TIE fighters were being scrambled. Vel could see the first wings flying over the bridge and holding around the Star Destroyer. The Alliance taskforce was getting closer; their X-Wings were nearly upon the Imperial battle group. Their Gladiator had one significant advantage over the MC75s: missile batteries. Vel yelled to gunner command, “Launch missiles now!” The missiles, followed behind by brilliant blue trails, accelerated straight towards the lead MC75.

“Oon is sending part of their defence force. Six minutes out,” an intelligence ensign called out to the admiral. In six minutes, they would hopefully be gone. It would be the local defence’s problem.

Another ensign announced as the bridge rocked, “X-Wings are attacking our rear—trying to knock out our engines.” A smaller concussion missile of their own had landed a hit on them.

The central holo-display lit up: Lord Vader appeared. “What is happening, admiral?”

Kark, this was the last thing Vel needed to deal with, but he still straightened himself out and saluted. “Lord Vader, an Alliance task force has arrived to rescue their agents; we are dealing with them. I believe that we should be able to make our jump in five minutes with the agents’ ship.”

The Supreme Commander looked to be pensively thinking before responding, “Very well, admiral.” The holo of Lord Vader faded out. For the second time after speaking to Vader, Vel let himself breath out deeply.

The central MC75 fell behind the others, hit hard by their opening missile salvo. The Hammerheads had advanced considerably in the meantime, engaging the forward Gozanti. It wasn’t a fair fight. Vel slammed his fists down hard on the command console, cursing to himself: they weren’t going to get the Alliance freighter. It was simply impossible with the speed that the Hammerheads were moving combined with the continual assault by the X-Wings. And Oon’s Star Destroyer was simply not going to be enough. They had wasted their element of surprise on the VCX.

“Try and mitigate all loses. Be ready to launch second salvo,” Vel called out to missile control.

It was too late; before the order could be made, a massive explosion knocked Vel, along with half the bridge, to the floor. Regaining some amount of composure, Vel yelled, “What just kriffing happened?”

“Sir, we’ve lost all immobilization control,” a voice responded. Vacuum klaxons were blaring now; the Rebels had altered their attacks and aimed for the nearest Gozanti. It had exploded, taking a chunk of _Annihilator_ with it. Admiral Vel watched as the VCX darted away from the Star Destroyer, peeling off with a compliment of X-Wings towards the MC75s. The Hammerheads soon broke off and followed as well.

Within moments it was over; the Alliance force jumped away, leaving _Annihilator_ crippled and both Gozantis destroyed. Vel looked to Piett along with the rest of the bridge and sighed. He adjusted his jacket and started, “Begin looking for possible jump points; they could not have gotten far. I will inform Lord Vader of the Rebels’ escape myself.”

Admiral Vel took another long look out the viewport, seeing the lone Imperial-class Star Destroyer arriving, before turning away and shaking his head. It would be better that he delivered the news to Lord Vader personally, rather than sacrificing some poor ensign to the Sith lord.

**Author's Note:**

> So this was just a little prologueal intro; the next chapter will be diving into the meat of the story.


End file.
